Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing Gaza City after Israel announced it had begun the first stages of a planned ground offensive, according to local officials.
Israeli forces have established positions on the outskirts of the densely populated city, home to more than a million people, following days of heavy airstrikes and artillery fire.
The move has drawn fresh international concern, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging an immediate ceasefire to prevent “the death and destruction” an assault would bring.
Israeli military spokesmen said troops are already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia neighborhoods to pave the way for a wider operation.
Defence Minister Israel Katz approved the plan on Tuesday, which is expected to be presented to the security cabinet later this week.
Around 60,000 reservists will also be called up at the beginning of September to reinforce active-duty soldiers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was accelerating timelines for seizing what he called “the last terror strongholds” in Gaza.
Hamas, however, condemned what it described as a “brutal war against innocent civilians” and accused Netanyahu of ignoring a new ceasefire proposal put forward by regional mediators. Israel has yet to officially respond to the plan.
As Israel advances, hundreds of thousands of Gaza City residents are expected to be ordered to evacuate toward shelters in the south of the enclave.
The planned offensive has been widely criticized by Israel’s allies. French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Wednesday that it “can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the region into permanent war.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also cautioned that renewed displacement and intensified fighting threaten to worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis for Gaza’s 2.1 million people.
Israel’s government reaffirmed its goal of capturing the entire Gaza Strip after ceasefire and hostage-release talks with Hamas collapsed last month.
